Current-motor.



No. 787,562. PATBNTED APR. 18, 1905.

' M. E. & W. 0. GARLEY.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14,1904.

mam/ W 2am, (a/Jay Inventors Witnesses I v A b w I 9 x v i I v I I Ficornegs UNITE STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MYRON E. CARLEY AND WILLIAM O. CARLEY, OF COLFAX, WASHINGTON.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 787,562, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed May 14, 1904:. Serial N0. 207,999. 5

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, MYRoN E. CARLEY and lVILLIAM O. GARLEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Colfax, in the county of W'hitinan and State of l/Vashington, have invented a new and useful Current-Motor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relal es to Water-motors, and

is designed to provide an improved apparatus of this character capable of operation by the current of a river or stream to generate power for any purpose-as, for instance, to operate a pump for an irrigating plant. Itis furthermore designed to provide for effectively feathering the paddles of the apparatus on entering and leaving the stream, thereby to prevent poundingof the paddles against the Water when entering the same and to obviate lifting water when leaving the stream and to maintain the paddles at right angles to the direction of the flow of the stream when dipped therein to obtain the maximum effect thereof.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may. be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a current-motor embodying the features of the' present invention, parts of the float being broken away to illustrate the feathering of the paddles. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof. Fig. 3- is a detail sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate cor-- responding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

For the support of the operating parts of the present apparatus there is provided afloat 1, which is designed to be anchored ina stream in any suitable manner, and consists of an open frame, as indicated in Fig. 2, so as to expose the surface of the stream at the longitudinal center of the float.

journaled upon suitable bearing-brackets 7,.

rising from the float and provided at each end with a sprocket-wheel 8, smaller in diameter than the respective sprocket-wheels 3 and 5. Over the corresponding sprocket-wheels at the respective ends of the several shafts run the respective sprocket-chains 9, which are provided at regular intervals with corresponding hinge-links 10 for the connection of the paddles of the apparatus.

Each paddle 11 consists of a straight blade having transverse end cleats 12 extending across the back thereof, with their inner ends beveled, as at 13, for a purpose as will be hereinafter described. Upon the front of each paddle and alined with'the adjacent cleat is a movable hinge member madeup of a pair of metal straps 14, secured to the paddle by suitable fastenings with their inner ends terminated in spaced eyes 15 at the inner edge of the paddles, so as to loosely receive the knuckle or eye of the adjacent hinge-link 10,'a suitable pivot-pintle 16 being passed through the eyes 15 and the knuckle of the hinge-link, thereby forming a hinge connection between the paddle and the two sprocket-chains.

To maintain each paddle at substantially right angles with respect to the sprocketchains and the direction of the flow of the stream when dipped therein, ties or braces 17 are provided for the respective ends of the paddles. Each of these ties or braces consists of a metal rod or bar having its outer end pivoted or hinged to a bracket 18, carried by the rear face of the paddle, near one end thereof, while its opposite and inner end is provided with an eye 19, which is received between the eyes or knuckle members of the adjacent hinge-link of the adjacent rear paddle and receives the pivot-pin or pintle 16,

whereby the brace or tie is hinged or pivoted to the adjacent s'procket-chain'in rear of the paddle and forms an effective brace to maintain the paddle-in the most effective position when dipped in the stream. It will of course be understood that the inner end of the brace may besecured to thechai'n intermediate of adjacent paddles; but it is preferred to connect the brace to one of the hinge-links, as this arrangement obviates the necessity for providing other specially-constructed links for connection with the brace.

A very important feature of this invention resides in the arrangement of the elevated shaft 6, whereby thetwo sprocket-chains are inclined downwardlyand forwardly from said shaft, and as the paddles are maintained at substantially right angles to this portion of the chain they enter the stream at an angle without splashing or pounding upon the surface thereof and begin to receive the impact of the stream immediately upon entering the same. It will here be noted that the inner end of each brace or tie 17 is bowed or arched rearwardly', as indicated at 20, in order that said inner end may clear the sprocket-wheel 8 when passing aroundthe same, and the inner endsof the cleats12 are beveled for the same purpose. "By having the braces or the ties pivotally supported at opposite ends they permit the paddles to assume the required positions in passing around the sprocket-w heels 8 and 3lw'ithout any binding thereof.

By reference'to the downstream end of the motor, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it willfbe noted that each paddle rises in a substantially vertical plane out of the stream, as indicated by the several dotted positions of one of the paddles. This feathering feature of thelpaddle is obtained through its hinge connection with the sprocket-chain, whereby the weight of the paddle causes the latter to hangffroin [its pivotal support, and as the pivotal connections between the paddle and the chains and between the brace of the paddle afidthe chain assume different elevations in passing around the sprocket-wheel 3. After the paddle passes around the sprocket 3 it again-assumes its position at substantially right angles to the adjacent portion of the chain and continues in this position until it starts to travel around the sprocket-wheel 8.

From the foregoing description it will be notedth'at the present motor is very simple in construction and at the same time eflective in operation, and instead of employing complicated mechanism to gear up the element from which power is to be transferred it is designed to take the power directly from the elevated shaft 6 by means of a gear or pulley 21 orother suitable connection. When the power is to be taken from the shaft 6 and the sprocket-wheel 8 is smaller than either of the sprocket-wheels 3 and 5, it is necessary to provide the bend or arch 20 in each of the braces 17; but should the sprocket-wheel8wbe bf the same diameter as that of the sprock'ets'3 and 5 it is not necessary to form the bend or arch in the inner end of each brace. If desired, power may be taken from either of the other shafts 2 and 4. By elevating the shaft 6 the paddles are given the proper inclination or feather to enter the water at an angle, so as to avoid splashing and pounding and to immediately receive the impact of the stream. As the paddles enter the water at an angle, they gradually receive the impact of the stream, and a continuous and uninterrupted operation of the apparatus is thereby assured. The paddles are also arranged to rise vertically out of the stream without offering any obstruction to the operation of the apparatus. While the apparatus has been shown and described as supported upon a float, it is also possible to mount the same upon piers, piles, or any other suitable support in position to have the paddles dipped into the stream. Moreover, the device may be arranged reversely to the position shown in Figs. 1 of the drawings with the braces 17 at the downstream sides of the paddles. If desired, the paddles may be concaved or scoop-shaped in stead of straight or flat, as illustrated in the drawings.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

In a current-motor, the combination with a float having alongitudinal central opening to expose a stream, a downstream-shaft journaled across the float and provided with sprocketwheels, an upstream-shaft journaled across the float in substantially horizontal alinement with the downstream-shaft and provided with sprocket-wheels, a guide-shaft located above and in advance of the upstream-shaft and provided with sprocketwh eels of less diameter than the other sprockets, endless sprocketchains engaging the sprocket-wheels, hingelinks disposed at regular intervals upon the chains,'paddles hinged to the hinge-links, and brace-rods having their outer ends hinged to the backs of the respective paddles with their inner ends hinged to the hinge-links next in rear of the paddles to which the respective rods are connected, the inner end of each rod being bowed to clear the sprocket-wheels of the guide-shaft.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

MYRON E. GARLEY. WlLLlAM O. CARLEY.

Witnesses:

CoMoR VAN Lon'rMnN, FRANK M; WARNER. 

